Olympics-Freestyle skiing-Gu blends dragon power with China’s porcelain palette for slopestyle suit

By Giulia Segreti

LIVIGNO, Italy, Feb 7 (Reuters) - Double Olympic champion Eileen Gu channelled dragon energy and the blue and white hues of Chinese porcelain on her ski suit in qualifying on Saturday for the Milano Cortina Games slopestyle finals.

Gu, who also models for high-street and luxury brands and is known for her fashion style, shone in the white suit with an intricate dragon-patterned embroidery wrapping around her arms, complete with blue and gold scale details.

The outfit - by sports equipment company Anta for whom Gu is a brand ambassador - was a custom-made piece inspired by Chinese traditions, specifically the country's blue and white porcelain, known as qinghua. "So China, so recognisable," Gu said.

"Of course, I had to bring the dragon element, which was relevant at the last Olympics, had brought me strength and courage and served me well," she added, referring to Beijing 2022, when she bagged two golds and a silver with dragons on her suits.

Clouds spiralled up the legs, "to represent the feeling of flying", said Gu, who is American-born but represents her mother's country of China at the Olympics.

Not that the imagery could save her in her first run, when she lost her balance and slipped off the first rail. A polished second run ensured she could battle for gold with Swiss reigning champion Mathilde Gremaud.

Other details included the 22-year-old's name in a new logo created with "one of my best friends at Stanford", she said, referring to the American university where she studies.

Her left sleeve also incorporated a thermometer and compass.

"I was obsessed with mood rings when I was little and so it's a colour changing thermometer - I just wanted a little modular element for my little nerd brain to nerd out on," she said.